Neptune Pine is an Android-powered smart watch

Shane McGlaun, 8th February 2013

The first time I actually wanted to own a specific watch was back in the 80's when those Casio calculator devices first became popular.

Fast forward to today and decades later and geeks are again becoming enamored by large and wrist devices that offer interesting features. Case in point? The Neptune Pine smart watch.

The watch - powered by Google's Android operating system - boasts its own micro SIM card slot, essentially allowing it to be used as a mobile phone. It's not exactly the sleekest or smallest watch I've ever seen, but geeks probably won't care. Thanks to that integrated micro SIM card the smart watch can also surf the Internet, send text messages and make phone calls.

As noted above, the watch is Android-powered, although the hardware does run a highly modified fork known as Leaf OS, which is tailored specifically for the device's tiny 2.5-inch display. Additional key specs? A five-megapixel camera, integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and 3G GSM connectivity.

One of the most common smart watches I've seen was actually created using the iPod nano and a watchband. Frankly, that little iPod looks huge on the wrist and has a 1.5-inch screen. The NanoWatch also features a 1.5-inch screen and looks huge on the arm. Other than being bulky and not exactly sleek, the Neptune Pine seems rather expensive, as it is priced at C$335 for 8 GB and up to C$395 for 32 GB of storage. The watch is expected to ship in Q3.